Lens holding structure for welder{40 s helmet

ABSTRACT

An improvement in the lens holding structure of a welder&#39;&#39;s helmet consisting of spring means to normally position a lens to overlie the lens opening of the helmet and means operable by the jaw of the operator to move said lens away from said lens opening.

Dec; 4, 1973 United States Ptent n91 Herman Bowers Shields...

Conway Hebeler Crozat et al.

///// 9295A 79833 999 50406 57808 QI-2HI-23 [22] Filed:

Primary E.\'aminerlames R. Boler" Assistant ExaminerWz1i M. Chan ABSTRACT An improvement in the lens holding structure of a [52] US Cl [5]] int. CE. [58] Field of Search...................4....,..............

References (med welders helmet consisting of spring means to normally UNITED STATES PATENTS position a lens to overlie the lens opening of the hel- I met and means operable by the jaw of the operator to move said lens away from said lens opening.

2 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures 1,800,623 Greene 1,893,6l7 1/1933 Flood............. l,99(),369 2/l935 PATENTEUUEB 4m 3,775,774

SHEET 2 OF 2 In a-II...-

A 1 LENS HOLDING'STRUCTURE FOR WELDER'S HELMET SUMMARY ANDBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the use of a welders helmet, the welder or operator is commonly required to use one of his hands to swing the hood of the helmet upwardly above his head or to swing open the lens to provide clear vision for arranging his work and positioning his electrode prior to commencing welding. In many types of welding one of the hands of the operator is required for use in positioning or holding the work piece and this is the hand that will be used to move the lens to provide the operator with'clear vision to position his electrode with respect to the work piece. Thus it frequently is necessary that the operator clamp the work piece in position which he conveniently could hold manually if one of his hands was not otherwise required to move the lens.

It is desirable to have an improvement in the lens holding structure of a welders helmet whereby the lens may be operated as desired without using of the hands of the operator.

It is an object of this invention therefore to provide an improvement in the lens holding structure of a welders helmet whereby the lens thereof may be moved away from and return to overlie the lens opening by a head action of the operator.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improvement in the lens holdingstructure of a welders helmet wherein the lens is readily removable for replacement.

It is also an object of this invention to provide an improvement in the lens holding structure of a welders helmet whereby means are provided to normally hold helmet and means are provided operable by movement .of the jaw of the operator to move said lens away from the lens opening of the helmet and means are provided to' secure said lens in position away from said lens open- "More generally it is an object of this invention to provide an improvement in'the lens holding structure of a weldershelmet wherein a pair of channel members are provided at either side of a lens opening of said helmet and extending therebelow, a lens is slidably disposed between said channel members, yielding means hold said lens in position overlying said lens opening and means are attached to said lens operable by the jaw movement of the operator to move said lens away from said lens opening and means are provided to lock said lens in position away from said lens opening.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in vertical section taken on line 1-1 of FIG. 2 as indicated;

FIG. 2 is a view in vertical section taken on line 2--2 of FIG. 1 showing some portions in dotted line and some portions thereof are broken away;

FIG. 3 is a view in horizontal section taken on line 33 of FIG. I as indicated;

FIG. 4 is a broken view of a detail of structure on an enlarged scale in vertical section taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 3 as indicated;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view of an enlarged scale of a detail of structure shown in elevation with alternate positions of a portion thereof being shown in dotted line and portions thereof being broken away;

FIG. 6 is a broken view in horizontal section taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 5 as indicated; and FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view of a detail of structure on an enlarged scale showing a modification.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, illustrated therein is a welders helmet 10 shown positioned on the head A of an operator.

The conventional portion of said helmet structure comprises a headband 12 having secured thereto by pivots 14 a hood member or hood l5.

Said hood comprises a front wall 17 housing upper and lower curved end portions 19 and 20 to overlie the forehead and underlie the jaw of the operator. Curved about the face of said operator from said front wall are side walls 22 and 23.

Formed in said hood is a lens opening 24 which will be at the eye level of the operator for clear vision therethrough.

Carried by said hood member 15 at the inner side 16 thereof is a lens supporting means or lens holding structure 25 which comprises the essential subject matter of the invention herein. Disposed about said lens opening as here shown is a U-channel frame member having a top wall 31 and side walls 32 and 33. Formed within said frame member is a channel 35.

Slidably retained within said channel 35 between said side walls 32 and 33 is a lens 37 which is removably disposed within a rim or frame member 38 having a channel 39 therein and an open bottom or slotted bottom rim portion 40 having a lip 40a at one end thereof as shown in FIG. 5.

Carried within one side 39 of said rim 38 oppositely of said lip 40a is a longitudinally curved pressure plate spring member 41 held by a rivet 42. Said pressure plate bears against said lens 37 sufficiently to hold the same within said rim 38.

Extending upwardly from said top wall 31 of the frame member 30 and spaced apart substantially the width of the lens 37 are a pair of finger like members 42 and 43 each having knob like projections 44 and 45 with said top wall 31 having corresponding projections 47 and 48 and respectively extending between said corresponding projections are yielding means here shown as spring members 50 and 51. Said spring members normally hold said lens 37 in an upward position within said frame 30 overlying said lens opening 24.

Extending downwardly along either side of said lens rim 38 are arms and 56 having inwardly angled portions 58 and 59 secured to said rim as by welding. At the bottom portion of each of said arms is a longitudinal slot 60 with one of said slots being shown in FIG. 1.

Adjustably secured to said arms 55 and 56 is a strap member 62 having slotted side portions 65 and 66 underlying and being adjustably pivotally secured to the lower end portions of said arms 55 and 56 by a conventional form of thumb screws 69 and having a central downwardly curved portion 67 having a cushion or pad 72 thereon for engagement by the jaw B of the operator. Said arms 55 and 56 together with said strap memher 62 form together an arm member for movement of said lens 37.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 4, a holding member 75 is shown for engaging and locking said lens 37 in a position withdrawn from fully overlying said lens opening 24. Said holding member comprises a threaded boss 76 projecting from said side wall 33 at a lower portion thereof with the adjacent facing portion 33a of said wall being apertured to receive therethrough a thumb screw 77 for holding engagement with the adjacent portion of the rim 38 of said lens 37.

A modification of a detail of structure is shown in FIG. 7 where in lieu of the use of the spring plate member 41 a boss 80 spaced from said lip 40a projects outwardly of said bottom rim portion 40 having a vertical hinge pin 81 disposed therethrough having a closure plate member 82 pivoted thereto to be swung to underlie the open bottom of said rim portion 40 to retain said lens 37 therein. A stop member 84 is fonned as a projecting lug to be engaged by said plate member 82 when in closure position underlying said lens.

OPERATION The helmet will be positioned upon the head of the operator in a conventional manner by means of the head band 12. The hood may be removed completely from overlying the face of the operator by being swung upwardly to rest atop the head of the operator.

When the operator is ready to commence work, the hood is lowered in position as shown in FIG. 1. To have clear vision for positioning the electrode with respect to the work, the operator merely moves his jaw downwardly against the tension of the springs 50 and 51 and away from the lens opening 24.

Thus the operator in moving the lens is not required to use either of his hands for this purpose but instead has both of his hands free for the work he is doing. The

lens is readily movable responsive to movement of the operators jaw. The jaw engaging member 67 is adjustable by means of the thumb screws 69 in connection with the longitudinal slots through which said thumb screws are disposed. Jaw movement is fully adequate to lens away from the lens opening.

If it is desired to hold the lens in open position for some length of time, the lens is lowered by jaw movement and the holding screw 77 is threaded inwardly to engage the lens rim 38 in a desired lowered position.

The lens for a welders helmet is commonly formed of two layers of glass. The inner layer being of smoked glass and the outer layer is of clear glass and is a protective layer and is changed frequently as it becomes pitted by flying sparks. To remove the lens 37 from the frame 38, the lens is merely urged endwise against the spring member 41 and removed through the slot of the bottom rim portion.

As a modification of the use of the spring member 41, reference is had to FIG. 7 wherein there is shown underlying the lens the closure plate member 82 which is merely swung outwardly away from the lens whereupon said lens will be moved endwise away from said lip 40a to drop through the open bottom of the lens rim for removal.

The lens holding structure comprising the essential novelty of the invention herein is a relatively simple structure arranged and constructed to be jaw operated whereby it provides substantial utility in permitting the operator to have his hands completely free for use in connection with the electrode and the work which he is handling.

It will of course be understood that various changes may be made in form, details, arrangement and proportions of the parts without departing from the scope of the invention herein which, generally stated, consists in an apparatus capable of carrying out the objects above set forth, in the parts and combinations of parts disclosed and defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is 1. An improved lens holding structure for a welders helmet having a headband and a hood portion supported thereby and having a lens opening therein hav ing in combination, a lens,

lens supporting means carried by said hood portion for guiding said lens from an operative position over said lens opening to a lower unoperative position away from said lens opening,

yielding means in connection with said supporting means and with said lens for normally holding said lens in position to overlie said lens opening,

jaw operable means in connection with said lens moving the same away from said lens opening, said lens supporting means comprising a frame member, and

said frame member having an open bottom,

a boss projecting outwardly of said frame member,

a plate member hinged to said boss swingable to overlie the open bottom in said frame member and to swing outwardly thereof to permit removal of said lens, and

a stop member carried by said frame member to be engaged by said plate member when said plate member overlies said open bottom in said frame member.

2. The structure set forth in claim 1, wherein said frame member comprises channels holding said lens,

a threaded boss carried by said frame member, and

a thumb screw threaded through said boss engaging said lens to hold the same in position away from said lens opening. 

1. An improved lens holding structure for a welder''s helmet having a headband and a hood portion supported thereby and having a lens opening therein having in combination, a lens, lens supporting means carried by said hood portion for guiding said lens from an operative position over said lens opening to a lower unoperative position away from said lens opening, yielding means in connection with said supporting means and with said lens for normally holding said lens in position to overlie said lens opening, jaw operable means in connection with said lens moving the same away from said lens opening, said lens supporting means comprising a frame member, and said frame member having an open bottom, a boss projecting outwardly of said frame member, a plate member hinged to said boss swingable to overlie the open bottom in said frame member and to swing outwardly thereof to permit removal of said Lens, and a stop member carried by said frame member to be engaged by said plate member when said plate member overlies said open bottom in said frame member.
 2. The structure set forth in claim 1, wherein said frame member comprises channels holding said lens, a threaded boss carried by said frame member, and a thumb screw threaded through said boss engaging said lens to hold the same in position away from said lens opening. 